Seaplanes facing hurdles in Seattle

Updated Jan 21, 2013; Posted Jan 21, 2013

Seaplane comes in for landing in Vancouver BC. Seattle's Lake Union is seeing urban growth that threaten the area's long floatplane tradition. Kenmore Air, who's operated planes on the lake since 1946 is less worried about new tall buildings than neighbors with noise complaints and boat traffic.

The south Lake Union skyline is growing, but a seaplane airline says it's more worried about growing boat traffic and noise complaints than flying around apartment towers.

The flight path can be adjusted, and the planes wouldn't have any trouble clearing 240-foot buildings that would be allowed under new zoning for three 24-story apartment towers, The Seattle Times reported Monday.

Kenmore Air has been using Lake Union as an airport for its floatplanes since 1946. The airline also flies off Lake Washington at Kenmore and says as many as 40 takeoffs a day make it the largest seaplane operator in the United States.

"Kenmore can operate safely under the proposed south Lake Union build-out as long as we have a protected air corridor," said John Gowey, Kenmore Air's operations director.

The growth in boating and a residential population on the shores of the lake could be bigger obstacles.

"Tall buildings next to airports are not something you get excited about," said Todd Banks, Kenmore's president. "But you recognize growth is going to happen and you have to deal with it."

Kenmore operates 25 planes on charter and scheduled routes. Its flights serve Port Angeles, the San Juan Islands and Victoria, Canada, and other destinations in southwest British Columbia. The smaller Seattle Seaplane company also uses the Lake Union airport, as do private planes and charter flights from Canada.

Kenmore has already had to cancel flights on Tuesday evenings in the summer when Lake Union is crowded with sailboats for a recurring event called the Duck Dodge.

The company has a solution: lights mounted on three buoys that pilots could activate before takeoffs or landings. The lights would warn boaters to stay clear of a central strip, or runway, in the lake. The system would cost an estimated $250,000. Kenmore hopes to fund the project through a state aviation grant, Gowey said.

Kenmore Air flies only between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays, but it's nervous about more noise complaints like it hears in Victoria.

The James Bay Neighbourhood Association there objects to seaplane and helicopter noise and emissions. A 2011 report by the neighborhood group called for the city to study aircraft pollution, lobby to end charter tourist flights and install permanent noise monitors.

With this in mind, Kenmore has asked South Lake Union developer Vulcan to notify residents of the three 24-story towers that they could not initiate nuisance complaints against seaplanes for legal and normal flights.